Felicia opened the door to see Frisco hovering over Tony.

"Would you stop fussing like a mother hen and get out of here?" Tony exclaimed in irritation.

"I’m just trying to make you comfortable!" Frisco snapped back.

"I don’t even need to be here," Tony pouted as he crossed his arms.

"You have a concussion."

"I have a slight concussion. There’s no reason I can’t go home."

"Your doctor says otherwise," Frisco said, averting his eyes.

"Bet you told him to say that," Tony huffed.

"Hey, guys," Felicia said brightly as she stepped into the room. Both men straightened up when they saw her. "How’s my favorite brother-in-law?"

Tony smirked. "Don’t let Robert hear you say that?" he joked before he realized what he was saying. He glanced at his younger brother out of the corner of his eye. Frisco’s face was carefully blank.

"Yes, well…I’m still getting used to Robert being around again," Felicia covered. "How are you feeling?"

"I’d be fine if I could go home."

"You are not going to that godforsaken cabin out in the middle of nowhere!" Frisco declared. "It’s too easy to take potshots at you out there!"

"Ah ha! You did tell the doctors to keep me. I’m outta here," Tony decided, throwing back the covers.

Felicia rushed to the bedside to help. "Now, Tony…they wouldn’t make you stay just because Frisco told them to. I mean, no one listens to Frisco, right?"

"You’re not helping."

Felicia gave her ex-husband a dirty look. "What’s the harm in staying? It’s only one night."

"I could be staying with Lucas. Who’s looking after him, little brother?"

"Actually, Lucas is staying with us tonight," Felicia intervened. "The place is swarming with WSB agents and cops. He’ll be fine and you can see him tomorrow."

"Great! My son’s staying at a house where people got shot last week. Wonderful!" Tony said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"That’s not going to happen again, Tony," Mac said from the doorway. He walked into the room, glancing at Felicia then Frisco. "I promise you, Lucas will be safe tonight."

Tony studied Mac’s face for a long moment, then sighed. He pulled the blanket back over his legs. "Just one night," he mumbled.

"Okay," Mac agreed. "But I’d rather you didn’t go back to your cabin. Can you stay at the Brownstone? It’ll be easier for us to keep an eye on you."

"Sure. Whatever."

Great. Mac he believes. Mac he listens to, Frisco thought bitterly.

Felicia noticed her husband’s formal tone and frowned. If he was going to act like a child every time she was in the same room with Frisco, they were going to have a problem.

"Thanks. I’d like to take your statement now. If you’re up to it."

"Fire away."

Mac looked more closely at the other man. Tony looked tired, pale and resigned to his stay in the hospital. "If you’d rather wait until tomorrow…" he offered.

"No, now’s fine. Let’s get it over with."

"Okay. Felicia, Frisco, do you mind stepping outside?"

"Do you really think that’s necessary?" Frisco challenged.

"It’s fine by me if they stay," Tony said quickly. He didn’t want to cause a fight.

Before Mac could answer, a police officer stuck her head in the door. "Commissioner Scorpio? You’re needed upstairs. Mr. Donely said it was urgent."

Mac didn’t reply, he simply hurried out of the room. Frisco frowned. Upstairs? Who’s upstairs? Bobbie’s on this floor. Then he remembered.

"Frisco?" Felicia caught his arm as he passed her on the way to the door. "What going on?"

"Stay here with Tony. Remember what I said earlier; don’t go anywhere alone."

Felicia looked to Tony in confusion but Tony was deep in thought. She watched as a look of horror came over his face.

"Oh no," he said quietly.

*****

"Do you need anything?"

She ignored him and continued staring out the window of the waiting area.

"Carly! Do you need anything?" Sonny repeated.

"I need you to leave."

Sonny sighed impatiently. He was furious at her for taking the letter but didn’t think she should be alone after what happened to Bobbie. "I’m trying to help, Carly," he said irritably.

"You don’t want to be here and I don’t want you here so just get out!"

"What makes you think I don’t want to be here?" Sonny asked sarcastically.

Carly spun around to face him. Try as he might, Sonny couldn’t find it within himself to feel pity at the sight of her tear-stained face. "You took her side!" Carly hissed. "Again!"

"Well, it would be hard for me – or anyone else for that matter – to not take her side, don’t ya think?"

"You don’t know the whole story!"

"So explain it to me, Carly! Make me understand!"

"He wasn’t reading them, Sonny! He was sending them back to her! He wouldn’t have read that one either!"

"How do you know?"

"Because he told me he didn’t want anything to do with her!"

"It wasn’t your place – "

"I was trying to help!" Carly shouted. She saw the angry glares she was getting from the doctors and nurses standing around the nurse’s station and lowered her voice. "I was trying to help. I saw how much it bothered him every time he got one of Little Miss Perfect’s – "

"Don’t…" Sonny warned, pointing his finger at his wife. "Don’t." Carly stopped but didn’t back down. "I think the real problem was that you knew Robin was pregnant and didn’t want it to screw up your little plan to get Jason!"

"I didn’t – "

"You figured if she didn’t get the letter back and Jason didn’t respond, she’d think he read it and didn’t want the baby – "

"I didn’t – "

"– so Robin would go have the abortion and Jason would never need to know, right?"

"I didn’t read the goddamned letter!" Carly screamed.

One of the doctors strode over to the waiting area. "If you two can’t keep it down, you need to take it outside."

"Butt out, buddy!"

"Do I need to call security?"

"We’re fine, doctor. It won’t happen again. Right, Carly?" Carly looked away and wouldn’t answer. "Right, Carly?"

"Yeah."

"One more outburst and I’ll have you both thrown out," the doctor warned.

Sonny waited for him to walk away before turning back to Carly. "Why do you insist on lying even after you’ve been caught red-handed?"

Carly gave him a cheerless laugh. "You really can’t figure this out, can you? AJ opened the letter. He was always going through my stuff while I was gone. I don’t believe for one minute that he just found it yesterday. Maybe you should ask him how long he’s known."

Sonny shook his head in disbelief, then ran his hand over his mouth. "When are you going to grow up, Carly? When are you going to start taking responsibility for the things you do to people?"

Fresh tears welled up in Carly’s eyes. "You’re not going to believe me no matter what I say, so what’s the point?"

"Mrs. Corinthos?" Both Carly and Sonny jumped at the sound of the nurse’s voice. Carly hastily wiped her eyes as she looked at the woman. "Your mother is settled in her room. You can see her now."

"I’ll wait here for you," Sonny said coldly as Carly grabbed her coat and purse.

"Don’t bother. I’m spending the night with Bobbie. Michael and I will move out tomorrow," Carly replied before following the nurse down the hall.

*****

Parker watched the young black man walk into Luke’s club and take a seat at the bar. Parker noticed the boy staring at Robin. He nodded and looked away when he realized Parker was watching him.

Parker turned his attention back to Robin and stifled a grin. He wondered if the kid was trying to figure out if she was old enough to be in a bar or just thought she was pretty. Robin was tapping her feet to the pop song that was playing and eating her cheese fries with a look of bliss on her face. If he’d suspected that greasy french fries smothered in cheese could make her so happy, he would have found a place in Paris that served them.

Robin’s eyes suddenly locked onto his, catching Parker off-guard. He blinked in surprise, then his grin escaped before he could stop it. Eyes narrowing, Robin frowned.

"What?"

"What?" Parker asked forcing an innocent look onto his face.

"You’re staring. Do I have something on my face?" Robin asked defensively as she wiped her mouth with her napkin. Parker fought back a laugh.

"No," he answered simply. Robin’s frown deepened. "You don’t like those, do you?" he asked, nodding at her nearly empty plate.

"Why?"

Parker shrugged as he took another bite of his hamburger. Robin watched him suspiciously, sticking another fry in her mouth. Parker decided he liked teasing her; it was much nicer than fighting with her all of the time. And he actually got one in on her. Score one for me, he thought.

Just to see how long he could, Parker ignored Robin and looked around the room. As soon as he’d seen the name on the sign out front, he’d tried to convince her to go somewhere else. Anywhere else. Robin responded by grabbing his sleeve and pulling him through the door all the while assuring him that Luke really wasn’t that bad. Once you got to know him.

Now, as Parker looked around appreciatively at the eccentric décor, he realized it wasn’t at all what he expected. When Robin told him it was a blues club, he expected dark and smoky, not this…he didn’t know what to call it but he liked it. If it wasn’t for the owner, it was a place he might like to hang out. He noticed the semi-nude portrait over the fireplace.

"Who’s that?" he asked pointing at the painting.

Robin’s eyebrows rose. "Do you think she’s pretty?"

"Why do you always have to answer a question with another question?" Parker sighed. Robin was apparently waiting for an answer. "Well…yeah. I mean, look at her."

"So you’d be interested in her?"

"Maybe," Parker answered cautiously. He could tell she was up to something.

"Really? Because I hear she likes ‘em young," Robin said evasively.

"What does that mean?"

"That’s Helena Cassadine," Robin said with a smile.

"What?" Parker took a closer look at the painting. "No way."

"Yes way. Helena in her birthday suit. Obviously that was done a long time ago, but still…"

Parker laughed at loud. Maybe Luke was okay. "How in the world did Luke Spencer manage to find a nude painting of Helena Cassadine?"

"Who knows," Robin shrugged. "He has his ways."

They ate in silence for awhile, then Parker grimaced as the pop song was replaced by a reggae tune. "I thought you said this was a blues club."

"When Luke’s gone, it’s an anything goes club," Robin shrugged. "That’s Claude’s band playing, by the way."

"Claude? Claude the bartender?"

"The one and only," Robin said as she smiled and gave a thumbs up to Claude.

Parker turned to look and noticed the young man at the bar staring at Robin again. For the first time, Parker began to feel uneasy. The guy looked young, but so did Robin. And he seemed to be just a little too interested. Trusting Robin’s instincts, Parker decided to point the stranger out to her.

"Looks like you have an admirer," he said lightly.

"What?"

"The kid at the bar. You know him?"

Robin looked at the young man who quickly looked away. She shrugged. "I don’t think so."

"Not from school? Or work maybe?"

"No. He looks a little young to be in a bar though."

"Maybe he’s thinking the same thing about you," Parker said.

"Hey!"

In spite of his growing discomfort with the situation, Parker grinned at her indignant response. "Whoever he is, he seems very interested in you. Maybe we should go."

"Maybe he just recognizes me from the news. Or maybe he actually finds me attractive. Is that so farfetched?" Robin forced herself to smile at Parker’s serious look but his uneasiness was wearing off on her. "C’mon…what do you think he is? Somebody Faison hired? Or Charlotte? Some kind of…assassin or something? He’s too young."

"You look young, too."

Robin’s smile faltered but she refused to give in to her fear. "We’re the only other people in here," she reasoned. Of course he’s looking at us, there’s no one else – "

"He’s been watching you, not us," Parker stressed. He didn’t want to frighten Robin, but he would need her cooperation if they were going to make a quick getaway.

"This is ridiculous!"

"Robin. Look at me." Robin’s smile faded completely and was replaced by an apprehensive look. Parker reached across the table and took her hand in his. "I have a bad feeling about this. We need to get out of here and I’m going to need your help."

Robin hesitated, then nodded. She watched numbly as Parker tossed some money on the table. But just as they stood to leave, WSB Agent Al Dertz burst into the club. One look at his grim face told Robin something terrible had happened.

"What happened? What’s wrong?" she demanded.

"You two need to get back to the house."

"Is it my parents?"

"I think we’d better just go – "

"Uncle Mac?"

"Miss Scorpio, please – "

"Sean? Frisco?" Agent Dertz looked to Parker for guidance. "Who? Damn it, tell me!" Parker nodded to his partner.

The color drained out of Robin’s face when she learned what had happened. Parker pulled out a chair and guided her into it. Then he remembered why they were leaving in the first place. He spun back to the bar, already pulling out his gun. The barstool was empty.

"Where’d he go?" Parker asked as he looked around frantically.

"Who?"

"The black kid sitting at the bar. Where did he go?"

Agent Dertz frowned. "I didn’t notice."

Parker swore, then knelt in front of Robin. "You okay?"

Robin nodded but Parker thought she looked like she was in shock. Suddenly her head flew up.

"My mom," she whispered urgently. "I have to be with my mom. She needs me."

Parker pulled her to her feet. "Let’s go."

Over Robin’s head, Parker noticed Agent Dertz’s questioning look and shook his head. Although he kept the information from Robin, Parker had been told what had happened to Bobbie and Tony at the hospital. They were taking Robin home and, hopefully, out of the line of fire.

*****

Jason sat in the boxcar staring out at the snow. He had somehow ended up there of all places. He couldn’t even remember how he had gotten there; he only remembered climbing on his bike and going as fast as he could. Running away. But he couldn’t outrun the truth.

Slowly, he took the crumpled letter out of his pocket. He traced Robin’s handwriting gently, as if by touching it, he could touch her. He couldn’t put it off any longer. He had to read the letter. He needed to see what she had tried so hard to tell him.

He pulled the small sheet of stationary out of the envelope and smoothed the creases out of it before he started to read. Robin’s letter was simple, straightforward.

Dear Jason,

I don’t know if you’ll read this but I had to try again. I’m pregnant. Almost 11 weeks now. I’ve thought a lot about this and I don’t think it’s fair to have this baby. There’s too great a chance that I could pass my HIV on to it. And, I can’t bear to have this child just to watch it die. I don’t think you could stand that either. I realize that you don’t want anything to do with me but the doctor needs my decision as soon as possible. She doesn't want to perform the procedure after 12 weeks. If you want this baby, you need to let me know as soon as possible. I can’t make this choice alone. I’ll wait to hear from you, but if I don’t… Well, I guess that’s an answer, too.

Please get tested. Do it for Carly and Michael if you won’t do it for yourself.

Robin

Snowflakes fell on the pages like tears, making the ink run. Jason wanted to be able to cry but he felt empty inside. He had hoped Emily was exaggerating when she told him Robin had been thinking about having an abortion. He closed his eyes. In his mind saw his daughters’ faces, so tiny, perfect, beautiful. Because of his stupidity, they might never have been born.

Jason could only assume that Robin’s fiancé had convinced her to have her babies. He would be eternally grateful to the man for sparing his children. And Robin, he thought. She would have been devastated if she’d gone through with the abortion. How could he ever face her, knowing that his own stubbornness – with a little help from Carly – had almost cost Robin her daughters? How could he look her in the eye when he had allowed the woman she hated to interfere in their lives again?

Not since Michael had been born with a heart defect, had Jason felt so helpless. He didn’t know what to do or how to act or what to say to make things better. He looked up at the cloudy sky, blinking against the snow. Robin had once told him that you didn’t need to be in church to pray. He hoped that was true.

*****

Faison checked his watch. Avery had been playing in the snow with her new puppy for over thirty minutes. He walked to the doors just in time to see Avery chase the puppy into the woods. He jerked open the door.

"Avery! Come back inside!" Avery either didn’t hear him or was ignoring him. "Avery!"

Faison frowned, sure his headstrong daughter was ignoring him as she often did when she was enjoying herself. Another trait I wish she hadn’t inherited from Anna, he thought as he went for his coat. Just as he reached the door, one of the guards hurried into the office.

"There’s an intruder on the island. A man," the guard said.

The furious look on Faison’s face had the guard cowering. "Send someone to collect my daughter," Faison ordered. "She ran off after that damn dog."

As the guard hurried from the room, Faison went to the cabinet behind the desk. He threw open the doors and began studying the various monitors that showed scenes captured by the security cameras hidden around the island. Finally, he got a glimpse of the "intruder" and smirked. He watched the man pick his way carefully through the heavy underbrush. Well, well, well. The great Robert Scorpio makes an appearance. I wondered how long he could resist before coming to Wyndemere. Anna won’t be pleased, he thought smugly.

As he watched, Robert ducked down, apparently hearing someone approaching. Faison’s scowl returned when he saw Avery’s puppy slide to halt in front of his rival. The small Rottweiler sniffed the air, rooted through the bushes and took hold of Robert’s pant leg. Robert tried to quietly shake her off but the puppy refused to let go and continued to tug at him. Finally, his disgust evident, Robert stepped out of hiding and picked up the dog which promptly began to bark. Faison’s anger intensified when Avery suddenly appeared on the edge of the picture. She stared in horror at the man before her while Robert stared back in shock. Back in his office, Faison waited anxiously to see if Avery remembered what she had been taught.

Both Robert and Avery froze. Robert felt the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stand up at the sight of the little girl that looked so very much like his wife. It hadn’t occurred to him that he might see her. He assumed Faison would have the child under lock and key.

Obviously, she had been out in the snow for some time; the long dark hair cascading out from beneath her hat was wet and her nose and cheeks were red from the cold. She stared at him with wide, dark eyes that reminded him of Robin at her age. She looked terrified of him making Robert wonder if Faison had been feeding her lies or if she simply rarely saw a stranger. He squatted down to her eye level.

"Avery – "

"Give her back!" Avery said in a shrill, frightened voice.

Robert blinked in surprise. "What? What’s wrong? Avery, I won’t hurt you – "

"Put her down!"

Robert realized she was referring to the squirming puppy in his arms. "Is this your puppy?" Avery didn’t answer but he saw tears spring to her eyes. He began to pat the dog on the head. "She’s a nice puppy, Avery. What’s her name?"

Avery’s chin quivered as she whispered, "Give her back."

"Okay. All right. Don’t cry, Luv. Here." When he held the dog out to her however, Avery cringed and took a step back. Robert sighed in frustration. "If I put her down, she’s just going to run off again. You don’t want to have to chase her again, do you?" Avery stared mutely at him, tears now flowing down her cheeks.

"Avery, I’m not going to hurt you. Do you know who I am?" he asked with the sinking feeling that Faison had told his daughter exactly who he was. He took a gamble that Faison had told Avery about the rest of Anna’s family as well. "I’m Robin’s daddy. You know who Robin is, don’t you?"

Avery nodded hesitantly but made no move to come any closer. Robert held the puppy out to her again with what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Here. Come take her." Avery began to inch forward but stopped at the sound of someone crashing through the woods.

Robert quickly stood up with a muttered "bloody hell!" causing Avery to shrink away from him again. Obviously, the puppy or Avery or both had drawn attention to him.

"Freeze!"

Robert turned slowly to see one of Faison’s men pointing a rifle at him. He glanced at Avery and saw her staring in horror at the gun.

"Put that damn thing down," he demanded. "Can’t you see you’re scaring her?"

"Shut up! Drop the dog and put your hands up!" The man turned his attention to Avery and barked, "Go back to the house! Now!"

Avery jumped when he shouted at her but stood her ground. "I need my puppy."

"I said go! Your father is waiting for you."

Robert watched in admiration as the tiny girl’s hands curled into fists. Eyes flashing, she repeated loudly, "I want my puppy!"

"Avery." The furious brown eyes focused on him. Robert was stunned by how much she resembled Anna when she was angry. He held out the puppy again. "Come get her."

"Don’t move!"

"What are you going to do? Shoot me in front of the kid? Faison would love that." Robert took a step toward Avery.

"Stop!"

"She just wants the bloody dog, you idiot! What part of that is too difficult to wrap your little mind around?" Robert said with a scowl.

Faison’s guard sneered, "I think you need an attitude adjustment, Scorpio." He raised the rifle.

Avery’s ear-piercing scream was just the distraction Robert was looking for. When the guard looked away, Robert dropped the puppy and lunged. He managed to wrest the rifle out of the guard’s hands then drove his elbow into the man’s nose. As the guard bent over to grab his bleeding nose, Robert smashed the butt of the rifle into the back of his head knocking him unconscious.

When he turned back to Avery however, Robert saw that any progress he’d made with her, had been erased. She crouched on the ground clutching the whimpering puppy to her chest. Her mouth hung open in shock.

"Avery – "

The little girl scrambled to her feet and fled as he reached for her. Robert watched her go with a sigh, then began to follow her to Wyndemere. He made no attempt to try to hide himself; he felt certain Faison was well aware of his presence on the island by now.

*****

Anna slowed to stare at the hospital as she rounded the corner. Sometimes, it was hard for her to believe that she was back in Port Charles. She walked slowly and deliberately, more in control of her emotions than she had been twenty minutes earlier when she left GH. The icy air combined with the strong cup of coffee she’d had while waiting for her order at Kelly’s had helped to clear her head.

As she sat in the old diner, she had considered Sean’s words more carefully and decided that she was jumping to conclusions. It didn’t have to be Faison this time. She just automatically blamed him whenever something bad happened and he was anywhere in the vicinity. And anywhere in the vicinity meant Planet Earth, she thought ruefully.

The man who attacked Bobbie and Tony could have been sent by Helena Cassadine. It was just the kind of thing the old witch would do. Just for meanness. Or the attacker could have been some disturbed person who wandered in off the street looking for trouble; Bobbie and Tony had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. It didn’t have to be Faison.

Anna sighed. So much for calm, cool and in control. At this point in her life, she supposed it was only natural to assume it was him. After everything he’s done, of course you blame him first and ask questions later. It’s safer, she reminded herself. She told herself she was just tired. Days spent at the hospital were exhausting. As was trying to get to know her sister.

Anna smiled as she tried to imagine ten-year old Alex kicking the school bully then making a run for it. Always trying to help someone. That’s probably why she’s such a good doctor. Anna’s smile vanished as she remembered Alexandra’s stories about their mother. Cold, domineering and, thankfully, often absent, Charlotte had made Alex feel unloved, unwanted and never-quite-good-enough. Luckily, Alex had been every bit as headstrong as her mother. Anna would have loved to see the two of them butting heads. She must have given Charlotte fits, she thought with a smirk.

Coming back to the present, Anna noticed a throng of reporters had gathered at the front entrance to the hospital. She grimaced then abruptly changed course, heading down an alley and leaving her bodyguards scrambling to keep up. Anna frowned over her shoulder at them. One of the agents had received a phone call while they were in Kelly’s and the men had been watching her like a hawk ever since. Anna was sure the call had been from Sean, still worrying she would take off after Faison alone. She would have to have a talk to him about his sudden lack of trust.

Anna stopped at the end of alley to look around. Her two bodyguards were following so close, they ran into her, knocking her coffee cup to the ground. Anna cursed as hot coffee sprayed on her legs. She slowly turned to glare at the men.

"Sorry, Mrs. Scorpio," one mumbled.

"Take two steps back," she ordered. The agents looked at each other uncertainly then seeing Anna raise her eyebrows expectantly, they took two very small steps back.

"Again," Anna commanded. They reluctantly complied. Satisfied that there was at least an arm’s length between herself and the two agents, Anna added, "Stay."

With that, she left the alley and stalked across the street, weaving through traffic stalled by the lunchtime rush and the bad weather. Behind her, the agents hurried to keep up.

As she ducked into another alley, one of the men said hesitantly, "Mrs. Scorpio? You – uh…we are going back to the hospital, aren’t we?"

Anna stopped unexpectedly again. As the agents skidded to a stop behind her, the larger man slipped in the snow and went down hard. Anna sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward. She really needed to have that talk with Sean. She waited for the man – Agent Berry she thought his name was – to get to his feet.

"Am I the only one who noticed the reporters in front of the hospital?" The men shook their heads. "We’re going in the back way to avoid them. If that’s alright with you," Anna added sarcastically. "Everybody in agreement?" The agents nodded. "Right then. Come on."

Anna’s bodyguards silently followed her around to the small employee entrance at the back of the hospital, then through a maze of hallways to the stairs. Agent Sanders, remembering the incident from earlier, took her arm to suggest they take an elevator. He quickly let go when Anna fixed him with an angry stare.

As they trudged up seven flights of stairs, Anna again let her mind wander, sure that "Laurel and Hardy" as she had dubbed her bodyguards, inept as they occasionally seemed, could manage to get her safely to her sister's room. At least they have guns. She took Alex’s chicken broth out of the sack to make sure it was still warm. With a small grin, Anna remembered her sister’s guilty look when she asked her to bring her something "decent" to eat.

"Real chicken broth would be great," Alex had said with a hopeful smile. "Not that horrible, tasteless, yellow water they serve here. Just what the doctor ordered." Then she hastily added, "Just don’t tell him, okay?"

Anna was still grinning when they finally reached the eighth floor. She pulled open the door and walked down the short hallway opposite her sister’s room. She slowed to a stop when she saw Sean, Mac, Frisco, Edmund and a group of police officers, WSB agents and hospital personnel gathered around the door to Alex’s room. One look at the grim set of Sean’s mouth caused Anna’s good mood to evaporate instantly. She felt like her insides had been replaced by lead. Or ice.

She noticed that Dr. Greenman – the doctor Alex was trying to hide her contraband lunch from – was among the group and thought irrationally that she should hide the sack in her hands before he saw it. The doctor was looking at her with something that seemed disturbingly like pity.

As Sean broke away from the group, the sack slipped from her numb fingers. Anna forced her feet to move. She began to walk toward him. Then she began to run.

*****

Robert didn’t have far to go before he was discovered by several more of Faison’s guards. They took the rifle and his own gun then escorted him to the house. After motioning him toward Faison’s office, the guards left him standing in the foyer.

Knowing Faison was probably watching and waiting, Robert took a moment to look around. Faison had apparently redecorated after reclaiming Wyndemere; the house looked eerily like it had eight years ago. Not very original, is he? Robert thought uneasily. The furnishings were dark, elegant and obviously expensive, an overt display of enormous wealth. He couldn’t imagine what had possessed Faison to replace every stick of furniture that had been in the house before. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know. He suspected it was some twisted desire to recreate the past. The whole place gave Robert the creeps.

He stared at the partially closed doors to the office and took a deep breath. Let’s get this over with.

Faison looked up when Robert strolled into the room, hands in his pockets and an arrogant look on his face. Faison was sitting behind his desk, smoking a cigar and drinking a brandy.

"To what do I owe this unexpected visit?" he asked with a smug smile.

"I missed your lovely face, Faison." Robert stopped several feet in front of the desk and casually leaned on the back of a chair.

Faison’s smirk briefly became a sneer before he regained his composure. "You’re not the police commissioner anymore, Robert. You can’t just come into my home any time you feel like it. You’re trespassing. I could have you arrested for that."

Robert shrugged and studied his hands. "Maybe. But you won’t."

"Really?" Faison asked. His condescending tone irritated Robert to no end but he refused to show it. "What makes you so certain?"

"You’d draw too much attention to yourself. You wouldn’t be able to hide out on this island like the coward you are." Robert’s blue eyes stared directly into Faison’s hazel ones, daring him to make him shut up. Faison surprised him by smiling.

"You think I’m a coward? Me? I’m not the one who ran away from his marriage when things got a little rough." Faison was delighted by the fury he saw leap into Robert’s eyes. "I’m not the one who’s spent the last eight years running away, hiding out, if you will. I don’t get others to do my dirty work for me. I’m man enough to do it myself. Do you know what your problem is, Scorpio?"

"No, but I’m sure you’re about to tell me," Robert said through gritted teeth.

*****

Sean caught Anna as she tried to charge past him. "Anna, wait!"

"Let go!" she hissed as she tried to shove him away.

"Anna – "

"I want to see her! I want to see my sister!"

Sean put himself between Anna and the door. He grabbed her wrists and held her back. She finally looked at him, ready to demand that he move but what she saw in his eyes caused her to stop fighting.

"You can’t," Sean said quietly.

Anna shook her head; she refused to believe it. "Get out of my way, Sean."

"Anna, she’s… She’s gone." Sean waited for a reaction but Anna simply stared at him. Her blank look frightened him; he didn’t see any comprehension in her eyes. "Anna? Do you understand?"

Suddenly she jerked away from him, trying to break his grip. "No!"

Sean hung on tightly as she twisted and pulled. "Anna! Honey, stop it please!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Frisco circling around them. Sean glared at him and shook his head slightly, afraid that if she felt they were ganging up on her, she would only get more upset.

"Why would you say that? What’s wrong with you?" she demanded as she got in his face. "Why would you say something like that?"

"Anna – "

"Why are you lying like this?"

"Anna, she’s dead!" Sean roared. Anna stopped as if she’d been slapped and turned very pale. Sean hadn’t seen that much pain in her eyes since she and Robert divorced. He felt terrible for telling her that way, screaming it in the hallway, but was grateful the news was finally sinking in. After a few moments, Anna broke the tense silence by pulling away. Sean let her go but didn’t take his eyes off of her.

Anna continued to stare at him, her expression a mixture of hurt, anger and confusion. Then she brushed past him without a word, heading for Alex’s room. The others gathered around parted for her, all of them avoiding looking directly at her but Frisco stepped into her path, holding up his hands.

"Anna, don’t – "

"Frisco," Sean interrupted quietly without turning around. "Let her go."

Frisco hesitated, his concern for Anna obvious. She stared mutinously at him so that he stepped aside. She pushed through the door but was stopped cold by the sight of the empty bed. She felt her hysteria threatening to spill out and impatiently shoved it down. She couldn’t help Alex if she panicked. She just needed to think about what to do. She refused to believe her sister was dead. It was just too terrible to consider, too unfair. No, for some reason Sean was lying to her. He had to be.

"I’m sorry, Anna."

Anna gasped and turned. Sean had followed her into the room and standing just inside the door. He had his hands in his pockets. He looked weary. And guilty. Anna waited him out, eager to hear his confession. Surely it was just an act for the benefit of the group gathered out in the hall.

"I got a phone call just after you left," he explained quietly. "Charlotte escaped during the night." He saw horror flash briefly on Anna’s face before it was replaced by the blank stare again. "I don’t know why no one contacted me sooner."

"You think she came here – or sent someone here – to try and hurt Alex, then?"

Dr. Greenman slipped into the room as Sean frowned. "Anna… Whoever did this, didn’t just try…they succeeded. You do understand that, don’t you? Someone killed both Alex and Dimitri Marick. They’re both dead."

Anna nodded. Sean was beginning to worry about her lack of emotion. "I understand we need to let Charlotte – or Faison – believe they succeeded. Until Alex is feeling better."

"Anna, Alex is dead," he said bluntly. "Why would I tell you that if it wasn’t true?" Anna looked away but Sean saw the panic in her eyes before she could hide it.

"I don’t know. You tell me."

"Anna, she’s gone – "

"I don’t believe you," Anna said fiercely as she spun back around.

"If you have any questions for Dr. Green – "

"I want to see her."

"I don’t think that’s a good idea."

"Why? Because there’s no body? Because she isn’t really dead?"

"Because I don’t want you to have to see it!" Sean hissed before he could stop himself. He sighed in frustration. He knew getting angry at her wouldn’t help anything. He wished Robert were there; he was the one who always knew how to handle Anna.

"Well, I don’t believe you," Anna repeated stubbornly. "You keep telling me my sister’s dead. Prove it."

*****

"I think what bothers you the most is that I know her so much better than you."

"I wouldn’t be so sure about that."

"I would. She tells me things she would never dream of telling you because she knows that I won’t judge her," Faison continued smugly. "She knows how…self-righteous you can be. Robert Scorpio can do no wrong and pity the person who doesn’t live up to your standards."

"You’re delusional. You only think you know her. You have no idea who the real Anna is. You only know the fantasy you’ve created in your head," Robert goaded. "You don’t know what she feels. What she wants."

Faison raised his eyebrows. His smile became strained as he fought to control his temper. "Did she tell you she desperately wanted another child? Did she beg you to find a way to give her that child?"

"She didn’t have to ask. I already knew."

Faison saw that the subject of children put Robert on the defensive. He smirked at the other man. "Nevertheless. She did ask. And, as always, I gave her what she wanted."

"Right now she wants you to leave her the hell alone. Why don’t you do that for her?"

"Do you really believe that’s what Anna wants? I think maybe that’s what you want. Anna loves me. She wants to be with me. And our daughter."

"Avery," Robert said, his distaste evident in his tone of voice. "How warped must that kid be after living with you all this time?" Robert had the pleasure of watching Faison’s smug smile turn into an angry frown.

"Avery is everything Anna could possibly want. She’s beautiful, intelligent, spirited…so very much like her mother. Anna will love her."

"Anna hasn’t forgotten that you killed her son. Our son," Robert said bitterly.

Faison simply smiled infuriatingly. "Who’s lying to himself now? Who was driving that car, Scorpio? Who was going too fast in the rain and the dark? Who lost control and crashed?" Faison noticed Robert’s whole body stiffen in anger. He paused, taking a drag on his cigar, waiting to see if Robert cracked. "It certainly wasn’t me. You made the choice to risk Anna’s life – and the boy’s – and now you have to live with the consequences. Blaming me won’t help." Faison snorted derisively. "The whole thing was a gamble anyway. And you lost. You risked Anna’s health – her life – and for what? A baby that wouldn’t have survived anyway and may have killed Anna in the process. It was a foolish risk."

"It wasn’t a risk until you got involved," Robert returned. "Like you said, Anna wanted that baby. Do you really think she’ll forgive you for taking him away from her?"

"Oh, I have no doubt Anna wanted the boy. If you tell her she can’t have something, she wants it all the more. She’s always been that way, even as a young girl. But I’m not the one she has to forgive."

The reminder of how long Faison had known Anna – and the things he had done to her as a child – infuriated Robert. He wondered if her could cross the room and snap the evil bastard’s neck before the guards arrived.

Knowing Faison was trying to make him lose control, Robert had to force himself to stay calm. He wanted to beat Faison at his own game and for that, he needed to hold his temper. He pasted an arrogant smirk on his face and said, "You should know all about that. How does it feel to go through life always wanting the one thing you can’t have."

Robert bit back a triumphant smile as Faison’s face turned red with rage. Faison never took his eyes off of his rival but they turned cold, glittering with barely restrained fury.

Slowly, Faison got his anger under control. He wouldn’t give Robert the satisfaction of making him lose his temper. He would only run and tell Anna. Faison smiled smugly again and asked, "Who says I can’t have everything I want? I already have Avery. She’ll help Anna find her way home."

"If you believe that you’re more delusional than I thought."

"I’ve gotten used to getting my way, Scorpio. I don’t intend to allow anyone to interfere with my plans."

"Well, isn’t that too bad. Because this is one fight you can’t win."

"Who’s going to stop me?" Faison taunted. "You? Donely? Luke Spencer?" He smirked. "I don’t think so. And what about Anna?"

"What about her?" Robert asked, his voice tight with anger.

"Do you really think you can stop her? As we both know, Anna is very…determined. Once she’s made up her mind, no one’s going to change it. When she realizes she belongs here, you won’t be able to stop her from coming back to me." Faison paused, enjoying Robert’s discomfort. "Now…as much as I’ve enjoyed our little conversation, I need to go check on my daughter. You found your way here. I trust you can find your way back out."

*****

Anna walked swiftly down the sterile corridor that led to General Hospital’s morgue. Sean, Mac, Frisco, Edmund and Dr. Greenman trailed after her. Sean had been unable to convince her not to ask to see Alex’s body. She refused to believe her sister was dead without seeing it for herself. Sean watched his friend carefully. He could see by her determined look and stiff spine that Anna had convinced herself she wouldn’t see what she was so afraid of seeing. He also knew that when she did finally realize that her sister was gone, she was going to fall apart.

He silently cursed Robert again. Damn him! Of all times for him to run off. He should be here. Although he knew Mac had half the Port Charles police department searching for him, Sean wanted to go out and find him himself. Drag him to the hospital and say "See? Look what happened while you were out screwing around!"

Anna straight-armed the door to the morgue without pausing and marched up to the desk. The bored looking attendant almost fell out of his chair, then shot to his feet. Looks like he’s seen a ghost, Sean thought before realizing the young man probably thought he was seeing a ghost.

"I want to see my sister," Anna said briskly.

"W-w-w-what?" the morgue attendant stuttered, still looking at her in horror.

Dr. Greenman stepped up to the desk and introduced himself. "We would like to view the body of Alexandra Marick. She was brought in just a little while ago."

"Dimitri, too."

The doctor paused, then nodded. "Dimitri Marick as well. Just tell me where. There’s no need for you to go in with us."

Anna waited impatiently as the attendant fumbled through the stack of paperwork on his desk. He finally found the information and gave it to Dr. Greenman with one last wary glance at Anna. The doctor gestured to the swinging doors that led into the actual morgue. Anna hesitated for just a moment.

"Anna, are you sure – " Frisco began, but she walked through the doors before he could finish.

Inside the room, Dr. Greenman guided her to one of the drawers. He opened the door and pulled out the sliding slab inside. Before lifting the sheet, he explained that she would be seeing Dimitri first. Anna’s slight nod was the only indication that she even heard him. When the sheet was pulled down, Edmund quickly looked away, unwilling to see his brother’s lifeless body again.

Outwardly, Anna seemed dispassionate, unfazed by the sight of her brother-in-law’s body. Inside, she was screaming, crying, still trying to protect herself from the grief that was threatening to overwhelm her. It was getting more and more difficult to stay calm, breathe normally.

After a moment, the doctor covered Dimitri and closed the drawer. He then stepped to the drawer just to the right. He paused with his hand on the latch.

"Are you positive you want to see her?"

"Yes."

Anna heard herself answer; it sounded cold even to her. She clenched her hands into fists and forced herself to breathe evenly. Silently she was offering up every bargain she could think of for this to turn out all right, for Sean to be wrong. For it all to be a bad dream and she would wake up in a minute with Robert lying next to her telling her everything was okay. Please God… please… I’ll do anything, anything at all, just don’t make this true. Please. I know I’ve done terrible, awful things but Alex hasn’t, she’s a good person, she’s a doctor, she helps people, saves them. I’m sorry for everything, all of it. Please don’t take my sister… please

It seemed to her that everything shifted into slow motion as Dr. Greenman opened the drawer. Before he even pulled out the slab, she knew something was wrong. She stared in shock at the sheet wadded up at the end of the empty slab.

The only sound in the room was Mac’s hushed "Oh, God". Sean and Frisco could only gape at the empty drawer while Edmund put his hand over his mouth like he might be sick. Dr. Greenman looked around, confused.

Only Anna showed no emotion. She stood completely still, staring at the slab. Something caught her eye. Alex’s hospital ID bracelet lay half-hidden beneath the sheet, sliced apart. She slowly reached down to pick it up. As she fingered the cold plastic, she felt something snap inside her.

Violently, she shoved the slab back into the wall and stalked over to the drawer on the opposite side of the one where Dimitri’s body now lay. She yanked open the door. Finding it empty, she moved on to the next one. She continued her search, yanking bodies out to look at them before sliding them back to their resting places, leaving some drawers open, slamming others shut.

The men watched her, too shocked to do or say anything to stop her. The attendant rushed in after hearing the commotion. Mac sent him to fetch one of the police officers waiting upstairs. Only when Anna had searched every drawer did she turn her fury on them.

"Where the hell is my sister? What have you done with her?" She looked from one face to the next. No one had an answer. "Where’s Alex? Who took her?"

Sean stepped forward. "Anna, calm down." He looked to Dr. Greenman. "Is it possible someone took the body? For an autopsy maybe?" The doctor glanced at Anna, then shook his head. Sean didn’t like the wild look in Anna’s eyes.

"That bitch!" Anna snarled.

"Anna – "

"How can anyone be so cruel? So spiteful? She kills her own child and then she steals – " Anna stopped suddenly, horrified by what she’d just said.

Sean braced himself, knowing that the truth had broken through the barriers Anna had erected. He could see all of her grief and horror crashing in on her. He’d never felt so helpless.

"She killed her own child," Anna repeated softly. "She killed Alex." Sean reached for her but she flinched away. "No."

Anna turned in a circle, desperately looking for something to make it all go away. Then, without warning, her legs turned to jello. She sat on the floor with a plop and put her head in her hands. Sean rushed to her side, dropping to his knees. Anna’s breathing was ragged, her face gray. Sean had been trained how to deal with shock but at the moment, he couldn’t remember any of it. He put a hand on her shoulder and was alarmed to find she was trembling violently.

"Oh my God," she said breathlessly.

"Anna?"

"Oh my God."

"Anna, honey – "

Her harsh sob caused the words to catch in his throat. He pulled her into his lap, rocking her back and forth like a child, whispering softly to her as the others looked on helplessly.